Snowed In
by w0nderland5
Summary: Mai and the rest of the SPR gang are snowed in at a small inn placed several hours away from home. What will happen over the time they spend together? Will exhaustion bring out a certain side to a certain narcissist that we could only hope to see? Well I can't tell you that! It'd ruin the story! I guess you'll just have to read and find out! MaixNaru, AyakoxMonk, slight JohnxMasako
1. Sleeping Where You Stand

Mai felt tired. Actually, tired didn't even begin to describe how she felt; exhausted was more like it. After battling the spirit that haunted the Moonrise Inn in some far off forgotten town, which was 4 hours away from the SPR building, Mai wanted to collapse and fall asleep where she stood, but she knew that would just earn her a nasty reprimand from her narcissistic boss. Despite the late time and dark, moon lit sky the SPR gang was currently packing up the equipment that they had used over the past 3 days. They were almost finished packing up the last of the boxes, when Mai had sleepily stumbled and sent the box she had been carrying flying across the sidewalk. Luckily, there were only some small containers and papers inside, but to her dismay they managed to go _everywhere. _Mai groaned as she set the box down and lazily trudged over to where some of the papers had flown. She could hear Monk chuckling in the distance, most likely at her, and normally she would have shouted at him to come and help her, but she just couldn't muster the energy. She bent down and gathered up some of the papers and walked over to the yard where she attempted to grab one of them which was swiftly being carried by the wind, when she began to feel as though she couldn't muster the energy to move anymore. Mai stopped where she was and willed her eyes to stay open, but the cold night air soothed her features, and they slowly slipped shut. She could feel herself falling to the side and was about to open her eyes when she felt a warm arm wrap around her waist from behind. Her eyes snapped open as she twisted around to see who she was being held by, when she met a pair of dark and slightly annoyed eyes.

"Mai," Naru began, pulling her up to a standing position again. "What do you think you're doing?" He said as he dropped his arm from her small waist.

Mai regained her balance and felt a wave of embarrassment creep over her, her face turning red. "Oh, well I- You see- The papers-" she sighed, too exhausted to care about explaining to him what happened. She could feel her eyes beginning to slid shut once again and-

_ No Mai! _She thought, snapping her eyes open once more, willing them to stay that way but failing miserably. _You can't…_

"Mai-" Naru said as he grew impatient of waiting for her to explain herself, he was cut off as he saw her body beginning to fall once again. He quickly leaned forwards to catch her sleeping form in both his arms. She was out cold.

"Mai, wake up," he tried, shaking her slightly. "Mai get up. Now."

She would not budge. Naru sighed in annoyance and repositioned her in his arms so he could lift her, carrying her bridal style. Her head rolled to rest against the side of his neck, and he could feel her light breath on his chest.

_Honestly, _he thought. _It's as if she never sleeps to begin with._

Naru walked towards the group, earning some suggestive looks from Monk and a poorly hidden look of irritation from Masako. John looked up to see Mai in his arms and rushed over to them.

"Naru?" he said, looking over her body, concern in his voice. "What happened? Is Mai alright?"

Naru was about to answer when Lin walked out of the building with the owner of the Inn, who was talking about making sure that they would come back to stay, when he looked up to see the boy holding an unconscious Mai and gave him a questioning glance. He ended his conversation with the owner as he walked back into the Inn, said a good bye, and quickly walked back over to the others.

"She's out cold." Naru stated as he arrived, "I can't wake her."

The trunk to Bou-san's car closed and he and Ayako, who had been helping him, walked over joining the conversation. Bou-san was still giving Naru suggestive glance, though Naru effectively ignored them. Ayako elbowed the monk in the side then turned her attention to Mai.

"I'm not surprised she's tired," She said. "The poor girl hasn't been getting any sleep these last few cases, and I think receiving all of these dreams has been taking their toll on her lately." A concerned tone laced her voice as she worriedly looked her over. "You should get her to the van so we can-"

She was cut off by loud bang made by the front door of the inn being thrown open against the side of the building. The inn keeper jogged towards them from the porch of the inn, stopping in front of Lin. "Oh thank goodness!" He said, out of breath. "Good thing I caught you before you left, there's been a weather warning on the radio just now-" He was swallowed. "-And there's a storm heading our way. They were saying that we're supposed to get around 3 feet! It said that people should stay inside and off the roads for a few days, and that there were quite a few accidents on the main roads, they're all backed up."

Naru scowled, and as much as he hid it, he too just wanted to go home a get some rest. Lin turned to him, waiting for a decision. Naru glanced down at the sleeping Mai in his arms, who had not even twitched at the commotion, and unnoticeably held her a little closer. His arms were going a bit numb from the cold, making holding her slightly difficult, but he held on none the less. "I suppose we'll have to stay the night." He said finally.

"Ok, I'll get your rooms ready," said the inn keeper. "But you should know that there are other guest staying here, and there are only…" he paused to count in his head and on his fingers at the same time. "Three- no, four rooms left. Two have one single bed in each, one has a double, and the other has two singles. But there are seven of you so-"

"That'll be fine." Naru said cutting him off. "Lin, get our and Mai's bags and bring them inside. Monk, Ms. Hara, John, and Ms. Matsuzaki do the same. We will figure out sleeping arrangements after." As he began to walk towards the inn, it started to snow.

* * *

"Well maybe if you and I share that room we could-"

"No way! I'm not staying in the same room as her!"

"Well I could stay with Naru if-"

"Forget it Masako."

"Enough."

Naru's patience was wearing thin. The group of so called adults before him had to have been the pickiest bunch he had ever met. Currently, Monk was trying to claim that being the oldest (even though Lin had him beat by a few years) he deserved to have the room with the double bed, Ayako was arguing back that a real man would let the woman sleep in the large bed, Masako was trying with everything she had to sleep in the same room as Naru, John was trying to calm Ayako and Monk down, Lin was standing there with his eyes closed, and Mai was still out cold on the couch behind where Naru stood. They had been bickering for the last ten minutes, and Naru was close to just leaving and sleeping in the van, but his utter stubbornness kept him there, determined to figure out how they could all sleep that night with the least amount of whining possible.

He glared around at the group before him. "Since it seems that none of you will be capable of deciding this for yourselves, I have decided where you all will be retiring for the night." The group quieted down at the sound of his threating tone, but Ayako was against having him decide for them.

"Naru! That's not even fair-"

"The two rooms with single beds will be occupied by Ms. Hara and Mai," he stated, cutting her off and not particularly paying attention to what she had to say. "Ms. Matsuzaki, Takigawa, if you both want the double bed, you can both share it." A look of shock and embarrassment captured both their faces, but neither of them objected. "And Lin and John, you will be sharing the room with the two single beds."

Silence filled the room as the group went over the arrangements in their heads, Lin being the first to speak. "What about you Naru? And where exactly will you be sleeping?"

"I will be fine. I have work to do anyway." At that, he turned around, bent to grab Mai, lifted her into his arms, and directed himself toward the room he had been shown by the innkeeper moments before.

The inn was a small place, built all on one, ground level floor, in a wide rectangular shape. As you entered from the main door, you walked into a small room with an old wooden desk and worn computer chair. A door was placed to the right of the desk from which you walked into a small sitting room with a stone fireplace and framed glass windows, which were sealed shut against the cold winter breeze. Upon entering this room, and turning towards your left, you would find a wall of doors that ran across the back length of the inn, part of which was traveled down by a long hallway that too, ran the length of the inn.

In the sitting room, the couch, which was placed under the wide, curtained window, was directly across the room and hall from the room in which Mai would be staying. To the left of her, traveling more down the hall was the room Lin and John would be in, then the one which would occupy Masako, and lastly the one holding Ayako and Monk.

Naru didn't have to carry Mai far, as he walked across the hall and into her room which he promptly lay her on her on her bed, covered her with a quilt from the edge of the bed, and walked out, closing the door halfway.

He wasn't entirely surprised to see that the rest of the team, apart from Lin, had made their way to their rooms. What he was surprised to see was the small smile ghosted on his assistant's lips, causing him to rile with confusion though he did not show it. Matter of fact, he chose to act as though he hadn't seen it at all, and to his advantage, the smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared. Lin looked him over, tiredness and slight worry in his eyes.

"Where will you be sleeping, might I ask?" He asked again as the younger man took of his winter coat and laid it over the back of the ugly pink armchair which was placed to the right of the couch. Naru did not look up and Lin understood what he was planning to do.

"You cannotspend the entire night working, Naru." He said, irritation lacing his usually calm voice. "When was the last time you've gotten any decent sleep?"

"The last time I checked, I could tell for myself when I needed to rest or not. I certainly do not need you fussing over my sleeping habits."

Lin could hear the sheer arrogance in his voice, and frankly he was just too tired to even try to convince the stubborn teen. "Fine. Don't sleep. But you'll need to eventually, Naru." And with that he picked up his suitcase of belongings and walked down the hall to where he and John would be sharing a room. He paused outside his door just long enough to catch Naru looking into the room across the hall at the sleeping form of Mai, before turning in for the night.

* * *

Okay, so I know compared to some stories and authors, the amount of reviews and follows/favorites I've gotten for this story aren't at the biggest number, but honestly **every last one of them** made me grin. And I mean that with complete honesty. Thank you guys so much for making my day x) I'll update as soon as I can. (Actually I didn't think anyone would care if I updated or not so this changes things!) I'll see what I can do ;3

-w0nderland5


	2. The Guy of her Dreams?

**Hey guys! Long time no see huh? Welp I'm back and first off I just wanted to say I'm SUPER sorry for not updating lately. I've just been so busy with family stuff and school stuff and other life stuff...it's been hectic.**

Naru: Or you were just lazy.

**Pffft whaaat? Noo...**

Naru: You're really bad at lying you know.

**Ha! Says the guy who won't tell Mai he-**

Naru: I don't know what you're talking about.

Mai: Tell me what?

**HE LI-**

Naru: *covers her mouth* My author would like to say that she does **NOT** own Mai or myself, or any of the other SPR members, and would like for you to R&R after you're finished reading her story which took her very long to write due to procrastination.

Mai: Naru! She worked hard on this!

Naru: Mai I don't believe you have any room to talk considering you are constantly sleeping on the job.

***bites his hand* Anyway, thanks for all the reviews I got, it really helped motivate me to finish this! Well, enjoy!**

* * *

Mai panted as she ran down the seemingly endless tunnel. Glowing balls of light flew past her as she rocketed away from the unknown force which was chasing her. She could feel that something was about to grab her when she was suddenly forced to halt to a stop. Mai looked down and realized with panic that she had reached a cliff that dropped down god knows how far into a pit of darkness. She looked down at the pit and realized that she'd only be able to escape by going back the way she had come, and she did _not_ want to go back there.

Then Mai froze as she felt a cold breeze blow over her neck and sending a bone rattling shiver down her back. A large hand grasped her shoulder from behind and she turned around to find nothing there. She went to turn back towards the cliff when she felt the hand again grab her shoulder and yank her right off. She let out a yelp and plummeted for what felt like forever, but soon enough, she found herself slowing down and floating outside an old, wooden door. Mai swallowed, and forced herself to drift down to the floor in front of it. She landed lightly and glanced around seeing nothing but darkness on all sides of her. She reached out and turned the large handle, opening the door to find nothing but more darkness. She went to shut it but stopped when she heard a low groan from somewhere within the darkness. She didn't know how, but Mai new immediately who it had come from.

"Naru!" Her eyes widened with terror.

Mai ran into the room without hesitation, not noticing the door close and disappear behind her. She continued to run into the darkness, focused on only finding him, when she could just barely make out a faint glowing in the distance. Picking up the pace, she ran faster towards the figure and stared at the sight before her, her breath catching in her throat. Lying on the floor unconscious, Naru was laying; his breathing labored and shallow. Mai's eyes widened more and she dropped to the ground next to him and gently brushed back his dark hair from his drained face.

"Naru! Naru, wake up! Come on, get up!"

"He won't wake up, Mai. There is no point in trying." A voice said behind her. Mai's head whipped around and she was overcome with confusion.

"…Naru…?"

Mai looked back down at the Naru lying on the ground and then at the one standing before her. "How-"

He smiled. "I'm not Naru, Mai."

Mai's eyes widened again as she moved closer to the unconscious Naru on the floor, feeling uneasy. "T-Then who are you?"

"My name is Eugene, or Gene for short, whatever you prefer." He looked at her with kind eyes, while Mai's were still filled to the brim with tears. "Naru, as you call him, is my twin brother."

Mai stared at him with utter confusion. _Naru has a twin?! _She thought, her mind racing. _Then why haven't we ever met him? I mean we all know he's a narcissist and all, but not wanting to share the attention with your own twin brother? That's just…weird._

"Look-" He started again, but Mai cut him off.

"How do I know you're not lying? What if you're one of the spirits I see in all of my other dreams and you're just pretending to be his twin? Why are you even _in _all of my other dreams? I want the truth!"

Gene smiled and gave a small chuckle, "It's alright Mai, I'm not here to hurt you-"

"Prove it!"

"Alright, alright, give me any question about…Naru…and I'll give you an answer. Then will you believe me?"

"I don't know…" Mai looked him over and back at the unconscious teen beside her. "Okay, _Gene, _when Naru and I fell down that sewer during that school case, what did he do to cheer me up?"

Gene smiled, "He showed you a magic trick with that 'pet' coin of his. _And_ it ran away from you when you scared it."

Mai's mouth unconsciously dropped. "How did you-"

"Because he used to do that same trick when we were younger. Whenever I was upset or angry he'd bring it out to make me laugh."

Mai smiled softly and stood up, examining the boy standing in front of her. _Wow…he looks exactly like Naru...maybe he is telling the truth. _Her smile faded as another question entered her mind.

"Nar- I mean Gene, why are you always in my dreams? Like during cases you're always there…and the only thing I ever see in my dreams are…spirits…"

Gene's eyes softened and his smile lessened. He nodded and Mai knew what was going on.

"You're a…ghost?"

"Yes Mai, I am a ghost. I've been dead for a while now. That's the reason you can see me; I'm your spirit guide."

Mai was brimming with questions and her eyes were filled with tears. He was…dead? She watched Gene glance around as if noticing something, and then at the still unconscious boy on the ground. He smiled softly and looked back up at Mai.

"I'll answer all of your questions next time Mai, but for now it's time you wake up."

* * *

And with that Mai awoke and bolted up in bed. The tears came faster than they ever had before and she couldn't stop them. She pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed into them, trying to muffle her cries, but failing miserably.

_Naru has a twin. But he's dead. His dead twin is my spirit guide. Naru's twin brother is dead. Why is it always me? Why do I have to see Naru's dead twin? How do I even bring that up to him? I'm going to have to tell him eventually…but…how can I? Now I get why Naru acts like that…he's brother- his twin! How can you even manage with something like that on your mind? _Her mind was racing.

Mai looked up and saw through the window that it was still dark out and let out another shaky sob. She moved to lie down and didn't even bother with the blanket at the bottom of her bed, despite the dropping temperature of the inn. Mai pushed her face into her pillow and let out a soft wail, trying her hardest to keep quiet, but finding it a hard task to complete. She stayed like that for what seemed like a long time and didn't dare try to fall back asleep.

Naru's eyes opened at the sound of crying. Lying on his back and still half asleep on the uncomfortable couch, he listened, not sure if he had been dreaming or not. Sometime in the late hours of the night he had fallen asleep sitting on the small couch, and had somehow gotten a large wool blanket lain across his legs and torso.

_Where did I get this? _He thought, feeling the soft fabric between his fingers, trying to remember, but too tired to care. _It was probably Lin. _

After a few moments of silence he allowed his eyes to slid shut once more and moved to lie down on his side, facing Mai's room, whose door was still partly opened. Naru could feel himself being dragged back to unconsciousness when he heard the crying again. No crying wasn't right, it was more like sobbing, and this time he knew he was not dreaming it. He reopened his eyes, slightly irritated at his interrupted, and already minimal, hours of sleep, but sat up and pulled the blanket off. The inn had gotten noticeably colder throughout the night and sent a chill through his body but he ignored it as he stood up and started walking. Blind in the darkness, he slowly made his way towards the soft cries, only to find himself at the doorway of Mai's room. Inside he could just make out her form lying on the bed, the quilt he'd put on her at her feet, and curled up in a ball hugging her knees. She let out another soft sob, her body shaking slightly as she attempted to quite it, but failing miserably.

After a while of standing there, not wanting her to realize he'd been watching her, Naru began to turn to head back to the couch when he stepped on a particularly loud floorboard, making him close his eyes and freeze in place. Had she heard? Silence filled the other room, and Naru began to move slowly back across the hall when he heard a small voice whisper to him from behind.

"Naru?"

_Damn. _

"Is that you?" Mai whispered gently, peaking around the door, her voice cracked some but she cleared her throat. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he turned around to see a still fully clothed Mai standing in the doorway to her room, her hair and clothes a mess and her brown eyes red from crying. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Mai stiffened slightly and looked at the floor. "O-oh… I was having trouble sleeping… "

"I could hear." He said in the same voice as usual, but this time she could have sworn she heard a slight bit of sympathy lacing his tone.

_What am I crazy? This is Naru we're talking about, he wouldn't care. _She thought, a feeling of disappointment making its way through her. She looked back up to see he was watching her. "What?" she said, now irritated at his intent look.

Naru looked at her for a few seconds longer before speaking. "You were crying, Mai."

Mai's face turned red, but thankfully to the dimness of the hall, Naru couldn't see it. She stuttered over her words, unable to speak clearly under his intent gaze. "W-What are you talking about, N-Naru? I-I'm fine, see?" She said with one of her biggest grins, which was a little too large to be believable.

"Don't lie to me, Mai."

Silence surrounded them as she stared at her feet, unable to make eye contact with him. "I…I just had a dream is all…nothing serious though." Still she couldn't look at him, but Mai could feel his eyes boring into the top of her head, which made her feel even more awkward.

"Not serious…" Naru stared at her with a blank face, but irritation coursed through him. _Why does she have to be so damn stubborn? _ He thought still gazing at her. He watched her slow timid movements as she had finally decide to look up, her face red. Naru could feel the agitation within him dissipating into something he had not experienced quite a while: sympathy. He felt sorry for the girl (though his face would never show it) and decided just this once (later he'd blame it on the lack of sleep) that he'd let her have want she wanted, which he knew was for him to listen to her. "Are you…alright?" He asked, feeling ridiculous.

Mai's eyes increased in size for a moment, realizing that he was giving her a chance to tell him about everything she had learned, but she knew she didn't have the heart to tell him about Gene just yet. She felt increasingly flustered, her words escaping her.

"N-No- I mean yeah but…it was just…overwhelming…really overwhelming…" Her gaze drifted off to the living room, realizing that she was going to have to tell him eventually. _What would he do if I told him I dreamt about his dead twin? Telling him would probably... _She couldn't even begin to think about how he would react.

Naru looked at the flustered girl with curiosity. She was always telling him that he should care more about his employees, and now it seemed like she didn't even want to talk about what had been bothering her. Was the dream really _that_ bad? He supposed he'd never know, as long as she kept it a secret, but something more than just curiosity was causing him to want to know what had made her cry. He shook the thought from his head, not liking this feeling of confusion, and stared at Mai. Her brown hair was messy, her clothes were wrinkled, and her cheeks were still pink. He even noticed she still had her shoes on. He pulled his attention away from her and looked down the hall, contemplating going back to sleep, when Mai made a confused grunt.

She was pulled out of her own thoughts by the sight of the old, ugly couch sitting in the small room directly across from her's, looking worn and battered. She noticed a crumpled blanket lying in a pile at the end of the cushions which were all wrinkled as if someone had been laying there. It didn't take for long for her to make the connection.

"Hey Naru," She started turning her head back to him, and changing the subject. "Are you…sleeping out _there_?"

Naru did not reply, but his silence gave her an answer.

"Um…I have a chair in here that is really big and comfy and is probably more comfortable than that old thing…"

Naru looked at her, bemused by her flustered attitude. He knew what she was trying to ask him, but watching her try to find the right words was much more entertaining than giving her an answer.

"B-But I'm not saying you _have _to sleep in here but it _would_ be better for sleeping-"

"Mai."

"And just because you're the boss doesn't mean you can just tell other people where to sleep and sacrifice your rest-"

"Mai_._"

"And I really don't want you to have to sleep out there in the cold-"

"_Mai,_" Mai stopped blabbering long enough to hear his tired voice and felt herself blush. "I am perfectly fine where I am and I do not recall ever asking you to be concerned for my health. I will be fine."

Mai stared. "Well obviously not if you think sleeping out there in the freezing cold on that tiny old thing is okay! If you get sick I'll never hear the end of it! So like it or not, you are _not _sleeping out there tonight; that's final. I have blankets and a something more comfortable to sleep on; only an idiot would turn that down!"

Though he didn't show it, surprised coursed through him at the younger girl's outburst, but then again, this _was _Mai. He sighed, his exhaustion becoming overwhelming, and closed his eyes. "_Fine. _But don't think I'm doing this for you. Even people as talented as me need their sleep."

Mai's eye brow twitched in annoyance but she held back her retort and moved to open the door more to let him in. As he passed, Naru could have sworn he heard her say under her breath a "stupid narcissist", but he couldn't be sure.

Mai gently closed the door despite her agitated demeanor and turned around, grabbing a quilt off the end of her bed and tossing it to him. "The chair's over there." She said, waving in its general direction as she kicked off her shoes and crawled back onto her bed and lay down in a ball facing him, her blanket wrapped around her.

Naru walked over to the large arm chair and sat down. He sat back and glanced over at Mai who was watching him with sleepy eyes. "Goodnight Naru." She said just above a whisper as sleep overcame her.

"Goodnight, Mai."

...

"Naru…"

Naru opened his eyes and glanced around the room. Had he been dreaming that? Or was it-

"N-Naru…"

_Mai. _

Naru looked over at her small frame only to see her in a ball with no comforter on and shaking like a leaf. The room had grown considerably colder than before causing a chill to race up his spine as he sighed and pulled off the his thick blanket. He stood from his chair and sleepily walked to stand over Mai, watching her face as it contorted into something that looked like terror. She was having nightmare.

He reached down and pulled the comforter up over her shaking frame and turned to walk away when he heard Mai's small voice.

"Don't leave…"

Naru turned around to find Mai half awake and looking at him through sleep shielded eyes. She looked at him and managed to reach her hand out and grab the sleeve of his black shirt, "Please…don't go."

"Mai…" Naru wanted to pull back from her but couldn't find the will to free his sleeve. He too was tired and cold, and just wanted to go to sleep, but something about the way she had asked him to stay was very tempting. No. He couldn't stay with her, what was he thinking? He made a futile attempt to free himself but her grip did not relent. "Let go, Mai."

"Naru…please…" Even in the darkness of the room, he could see the tears in her eyes. "I'm…scared."

"Mai that's ridic-"

"Please Naru. Please stay…"

Naru gazed at the half awake girl for a good minute before giving in and sighing (later he'd blame it on the lack of sleep). "Fine."

Naru walked around to the other side of the bed; Mai watching him the entire time; lay down on his back next to her, and closed his eyes. He did have to admit that the feeling of sleeping in an actual bed _was_ nice. As he was about to give into sleep, Naru could feel the bed shift next to him and when he opened his eyes he found Mai sitting up and spreading her comforter over his body too. She hadn't noticed he'd had his eyes open, so he watched her as her tired movements hindered her from straightening out the blanket completely. She sighed and hung her head, then moved to lie down next to him, this time placing her head on his shoulder beneath his chin.

He stiffened for a moment, but the ease of sleep and body warmth soon overcame him and he let himself begin to drift into sleep. But right before he was completely unconscious, Naru moved his arm that Mai was laying on and wrapped it around her small waist, holding her close. Mai nuzzled her head into his neck, savoring the warmth, and both teens soon fell into dreamless sleeps.


End file.
